Background Organic
Large-scale switch to organic has risks
In the plans of the European Commission, organic farming is one of the spearheads to make agriculture greener and more environmentally friendly. A quarter of the European agricultural area must be organic by 2030. However, critics point out that too much of organic farming can jeopardize food security. The situation in Sri Lanka shows that this fear is not entirely unjustified.
The country in Southeast Asia has banned the import of fertilizers and other agrochemical products as of April 29 this year. This makes Sri Lanka the first country in the world to switch completely to organic farming. But in less than six months, that policy has turned out to be disastrous.
Sri Lanka is now in a deep economic crisis. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa even recently announced a state of emergency over food shortages and skyrocketing prices. One of the main causes, in addition to the loss of tourism due to the corona pandemic, is the rigorous switch to organic farming. Daily necessities such as sugar, rice and onions have more than doubled in price due to crop failures and consumers have started hoarding for fear of shortages.
Lack of knowledge and resources
Research among farmers on the island shows that 85% expect yields to fall sharply due to the ban on fertilizers and crop protection products. Virtually all crops depend to a greater or lesser extent on these products. Only 20% of farmers indicate that they have sufficient knowledge of organic farming practice. Artificial fertilizers could still partly be replaced by organic manure. However, the amount of organic fertilizer available is far too small in relation to the area and the needs of the crops.
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
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